Let’s talk about tights. They are a necessity in the winter here in Chicago. At least, if you don’t want to spend the entire winter in pants. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with pants but, dang, sometimes you just want to wear a pretty dress and not freeze to death you know?

Finding tights that fit can be a challenge. I always buy mine a size larger than the size chart on the packaging dictates and even then I typically take scissors to the waistband and cut four vertical slits (front, back and sides) to cut down on the sausage-casing squeeze so many tights produce.

And then, I almost always match my shoes to my tights. Black tights? Black shoes. Gray tights? Gray shoes. Brown tights? You get the picture. Why? Because I think it elongates the leg and keeps the outfit more streamlined. But today I threw caution to the wind and wore my leopard prints shoes with my black tights. And actually kind of liked it.

I’ve done this once before
and I didn’t like it that time. I think because the rest of the outfit was too busy for me visually. But this time with the solid purple dress and simple gold jewelry it’s much less jarring.

So, there’s my tip for the day. Match your shoes to your tights or, if you’re not going to, keep the rest of your outfit a solid color and let the shoes be the star.

A few weeks ago my friend Kelsey asked me what were the top 4 clothing items I felt I was missing in my closet. One of the items I listed was a knit moto jacket. I love the juxtaposition of the asymmetry and the “rock” style of the moto jacket with a pencil skirt and heels. However, it occurred to me that while a knit moto jacket could be more like a cardigan in the winter it might look kind of silly to wear one all day long. So when I found this knit moto vest at Target, well, I knew it was the solution to my dilemma.

I also had a $25 Target gift card and this vest is on clearance so, well, duh. It adds a little extra something to the otherwise simple blouse and skirt combo that is a staple of offices pretty much everywhere. Sometimes it’s the simple extra item that makes an outfit more visually interesting and keeps you from falling into that outfit rut where getting dressed is painful.

Oh, and yes, I’m wearing my hair straight. At this shorter length I’ve decided it looks better if I straighten it. Not as hat-friendly as my curly hair but I feel better about it so here we are.

This faux leather skirt has been hanging in my closet waiting to be worn since I bought it in October and I was going to wear it today no matter what. Even though when I took these pictures it was in the middle of snowing. Didn’t matter. I figure if Katie
can do it, so can I.

I wore the same jacket as Viagra professional 100mg pills
and wanted to wear it all the way buttoned up but the hook and eye closures just weren’t staying closed! So instead you get a flash of brown from the camisole I have on under the jacket.

I ended up really liking this outfit and I think the all neutral palate of cream, brown and tan tones down the fact that this skirt is both faux leather and a tiny bit shorter than what I would normally wear to work. However, I’ve noticed my boss wearing shorter flared skirts recently so I’m pretty sure I’m still in the clear dress code-wise. Good thing, too, because I really want to wear this outfit again!

I swear to you I was at Target to get light bulbs and toothpaste, not a cardigan! Okay, that’s not entirely true. I always check the Target coupons and Cartwheel before I go to Target and since there was a $5 off an apparel purchase plus 15% off a sweater with Cartwheel AND I’ve been wanting to get a new red cardigan, well, I had to at least look, right?

Plus, the color and placement of the sequins on this one just go so perfectly with the Style Imitating Art
piece that Jen
picked for this round!

The coppery gold color reflects the uniform embellishments and the placement on the shoulders reminds me of uniform epaulettes. And of course red, black and white to echo the other major colors in the painting.

I also think it’s fitting that I took these outfit pictures outside the Art Institute of Chicago which is where Jen originally saw this painting. Nice symmetry, yes?

And, yes, I am still doing the Take One, Pass It On
challenge but, as a reminder, I use Mondays as a reboot. And I already have some fun outfits planned for the rest of the week. Starting with….actually, you get to guess. Which piece from today do you think I’ll be using tomorrow?

Comments I’ve gotten today on my faux fur vest and plaid shirt outfit include “Nice vest!” “You look very ‘Nanook of the North today.” and “Cute vest!” I’m going to go with the idea that the Nanook comment was a compliment. Turns out this is the perfect outfit for the first day with temperatures hovering around freezing while I wait for the train. My core is nice and toasty therefore the rest of me feels just fine.

I recently purchased this skirt from The Limited and even though it’s described on their website as a “mini” it hits me at a perfect length. I bought it a size larger than normal so that it would sit lower on my hips and I suppose it also helps that I’m only 5’4”. But I have long legs! So, if you’re eying this skirt (which is currently on sale) and thinking it might be too short, I’m here to say it’s probably not. And, as you can see, it totally dresses up a Nanook of the North outfit.

So many things to mention today! But first, let’s talk about why I’m wearing stripes and florals. As my husband said when I got dressed this morning, “Aren’t stripes and florals together a no-no?” Well, maybe they were once but not so much any more! Although, the reason I decided to recreate this pin
was because I got some extra inspiration. From a painting. From 1914.

Yellow is probably one of my least favorite colors so instead of trying to match the colors I decided to match the patterns. Hence the stripes and florals. And then, of course, I had to add my new necklace! Those of you on Instagram and Facebook
saw it last week but I wanted to share it with the rest of you. The necklace was gifted to me by ONecklace
although I got to choose any style I wanted. I love that they have more “modern” looking versions of the monogram necklaces that were really popular last year. Of course, they have the traditional ones, too, but they so many more additional options. And the many of the silver ones (including mine) are under $30 with free shipping! Of course, they also have gold. Great for yourself or as a gift, right?

Finally, this week is the Third Thursday Threads Link-Up at Work Clothes, I Suppose
and the theme menswear-inspired outfits. But since I don’t own oxfords and I wore my most menswear-esque piece last week (my sleeveless blazer vest) I’m just going to go with the fact that I’m wearing a button-up shirt. Yeah. I mean, we probably stole that from men, right?

P.S. I HATE that I had to wear hose/tights because it finally got chilly outside. Looking at this outfit I think the black hosiery is too heavy for the outfit. Probably should have gone with nude. Also, I think I’m going to get this top tailored so that it’s not so boxy. I love the stripes, just don’t love the fit as much as I could.

Today’s 5 Days, 5 Ways
challenge is…dresses! Although, as it turns out, I don’t think I’ve worn the same dress five times in five different ways. Although, I’ve worn a lot of my dresses two or three different ways. So, I thought I’d give you a taste of how I transform summer dresses into cooler weather dresses in today’s post.

Today’s outfit was inspired by this pin
which I saved when I saw it and immediately realized, hey, I have a dress that color and a cardigan that color! Why did I never think to put the two of them together?

Wearing a summer dress in the winter is actually pretty easy. Wear a shirt underneath, wear a cardigan or sweater over, or throw on a blazer. Add tights and boots or closed toe shoes and you’re done! Double the wardrobe, half the cost.

Want to see more ways I’ve worn dresses? I’ve tried to tag all of them here.

Last week
I wore this lace dress as a skirt for the first time and wasn’t too sure how I felt about that outfit. But I didn’t give up! No! Lace is very on-trend right now (I even saw an adorable eyelet lace dress at Old Navy
yesterday) and I really wanted this sleeveless dress to work for colder weather. So, taking your advice from last week to add some black on top to balance out the black on bottom and using this
and this
as inspiration, I topped my lace dress with my black turtleneck, my leopard belt, and my black mini-bubble necklace.

Yes, I know, it’s technically spring. But the weather in Chicago didn’t get the memo and it’s still freaking cold here. So a turtleneck is totally appropriate.

Although, to be honest, I’m not actually at work today! But if I was, this is what I’d be wearing. So what am I doing instead? I’m on my way to Cleveland, Ohio to visit my best friend from college! I’m sure much hijinks will ensue. Well, at least as many hijinks as you can get up to when you’re in your mid-30s and one of you has a kid.

Today’s Inspiration Monday photo just screams spring. A lace dress, a colorful blazer and adorable strappy shoes? Spring. Sadly, it’s still too chilly here for bare legs and strappy shoes so I did my best to winterize my lace dress with some additional inspiration from Katie.

Still, there’s something about this outfit I’m not loving. Maybe I should have worn the jacket open and belted the dress underneath? Maybe I just like the look of a lace dress with black tights better on other people? Thoughts?

Full disclosure: I am working from my couch today. I had an amazing weekend full of a tour at Half Acre
brewery, running my fastest 5K race time ever, and an awesome Oscar’s party hosted by the Chicago Blogger Network
(full post on Wednesday). I need a day to recover. But, I already had this outfit planned for Inspiration Monday. Plus, my hair is straightened so I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to take some pics.

Today’s Inspiration Monday involved a full skirt and a jacket as worn by one of the Olsen sisters.

You may notice that any time an inspiration photo features a full skirt I wear this purple pleated one. That’s because it’s the only full skirt I own. I definitely gravitate towards the pencil skirt silhouette but ever so often it’s nice to break out of the box.

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